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'''Robert Leon Maness''', known as '''Rob Maness''' (born November 14, 1961), is a retired [[colonel]] in the [[United States Air Force]] and a [[Republican Party|Republican]] and [[Tea Party]] figure in his adopted U.S. state of [[Louisiana]].<ref name=ballot>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Rob_Maness|title=Rob Maness|publisher=ballotpedia.org|accessdate=November 20, 2015}}</ref>  

'''Robert Leon Maness''', known as '''Rob Maness''' (born November 14, 1961), is a retired [[colonel]] in the [[United States Air Force]] and a [[Republican Party|Republican]] and [[Tea Party]] figure in his adopted U.S. state of [[Louisiana]].<ref name=ballot>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Rob_Maness|title=Rob Maness|publisher=ballotpedia.org|accessdate=November 20, 2015}}</ref>  

==Biography==

==Biography==

Born to a military family in Fort Lewis, [[Washington State|Washington]], Maness was an unsuccessful Republican U.S. Senate candidate in 2014. He lost out to fellow Republican [[Bill Cassidy]] of [[Baton Rouge]], who unseated then sitting [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Senator [[Mary Landrieu]] of [[New Orleans]]. Maness endorsed Cassidy in the runoff contest against Landrieu. Maness was endorsed in the primary election by the Senate Conservatives Fund and such luminaries as former [[Alaska]] Governor [[Sarah Palin]], the 2008 Republican candidate for [[Vice President of the United States]]. Maness polled 202,556 votes (13.8 percent).  

Born to a military family in Fort Lewis, [[Washington State|Washington]], Maness was an unsuccessful Republican U.S. Senate candidate in 2014. He lost out to fellow Republican [[Bill Cassidy]] of [[Baton Rouge]], who unseated then sitting [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Senator [[Mary Landrieu]] of [[New Orleans]]. Maness endorsed Cassidy in the runoff contest against Landrieu. Maness was endorsed in the primary election by the Senate Conservatives Fund and such luminaries as former [[Alaska]] [[Governor]] [[Sarah Palin]], the 2008 Republican candidate for [[Vice President of the United States]]. Maness polled 202,556 votes (13.8 percent).  

The U.S. Senator [[David Vitter]] supported Cassidy in the 2014 campaign, but Maness endorsed Vitter to succeed fellow Republian [[Bobby Jindal]] as governor. Meanwhile, Jindal was an unsuccessful contender for his party's 2016 presidential nomination. Maness's [[political action committee]] called Gator PAC has been active in several state campaigns, including the unsuccessful effort in 2015 to elect Vitter as governor. Upon his defeat for governor, Vitter announced that he would not seek a third term in the Senate in 2016.

The U.S. Senator [[David Vitter]] supported Cassidy in the 2014 campaign, but Maness endorsed Vitter to succeed fellow Republian [[Bobby Jindal]] as governor. Meanwhile, Jindal was an unsuccessful contender for his party's 2016 presidential nomination. Maness's [[political action committee]] called Gator PAC has been active in several state campaigns, including the unsuccessful effort in 2015 to elect Vitter as governor. Upon his defeat for governor, Vitter announced that he would not seek a third term in the Senate in 2016.

Maness received some 112,000 votes fewer than he had in the 2014 Senate election and had been urged to drop out of the race to support the equally conservative Fleming, who led in six parishes but finished fifth in the voting. Maness and Fleming both pursued positions with the Trump administration in [[Washington, D.C.]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/politics/elections/article_5bc8107e-a6d2-11e6-8011-9f0284eb23bf.html|title=Foster Campbell seen as facing steep climb in U.S. Senate race against John Kennedy|publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Tyler Bridges|date=November 9, 2016|accessdate=November 10, 2016}}</ref> but thus far only Fleming has been successful in that regard.

Maness received some 112,000 votes fewer than he had in the 2014 Senate election and had been urged to drop out of the race to support the equally conservative Fleming, who led in six parishes but finished fifth in the voting. Maness and Fleming both pursued positions with the Trump administration in [[Washington, D.C.]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/politics/elections/article_5bc8107e-a6d2-11e6-8011-9f0284eb23bf.html|title=Foster Campbell seen as facing steep climb in U.S. Senate race against John Kennedy|publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Tyler Bridges|date=November 9, 2016|accessdate=November 10, 2016}}</ref> but thus far only Fleming has been successful in that regard.

A campaign to draft Maness for the special election scheduled for October 14, 2017, for Louisiana state treasurer is underway. The treasurer's position opened when John Neely Kennedy resigned to become the junior U.S. senator for Louisiana. If he runs, Maness would face at least two other Republican candidates, state Senator Neil Riser of Columbia in Caldwell Parish in North Louisiana and state Representative Julie Stokes of Kenner in suburban Jefferson Parish, both of whom are announced candidates for the position.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/ColRobManessLATreasurer/|title=Draft Col. Rob Maness for Louisiana State Treasurer|publisher=[[Facebook]]|accessdate=May 27, 2017}}</ref>

Maness did not seek the vacant position of Louisiana state treasurer in the special election scheduled for October 14, 2017, though a campaign was launched to draft him to run. The treasurer's position opened when John Neely Kennedy resigned to become the junior U.S. senator for Louisiana. Had he run, Maness would have faced former state Representative John Schroder of Jefferson Parish and state Senator Neil Riser of Columbia in Caldwell Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/ColRobManessLATreasurer/|title=Draft Col. Rob Maness for Louisiana State Treasurer|publisher=[[Facebook]]|accessdate=May 27, 2017}}</ref>